Ramie Fibres
Botanical Information
- Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaudich) is one of the valuable bast fibre yielding perennial monoecious plant, belonging to the family of Urticaceae.
- It is superior to other natural fibres such as cotton, jute, flax, etc.
- China initiated the idea of ramie fibre production as it abundantly grows over there.
- It is commonly known as China Grass in the trade market and Grass Linen or China Linen in some areas.
- In India, it is known by different regional names such as Rhea, Popah, KhunKoora, Kurkunda, etc.
- This plant is one of the oldest fibre-producing plants known to man.
Agroclimatic Conditions for Cultivation
- According to FAO (2013), in 2011, China cultivated ramie plants in 72934 hectares of area, producing 124000 tonnes of fibre. The average produce was about 1700kg/ha.
- China is the major global producer of ramie fibre contributing to 96.3% of the production worldwide.
- The leading producers of ramie on a global scale are China, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Brazil .
- Lately, India has been cultivating ramie on a wide scale to meet national industrial demand.
- The northeastern province of India has suitable soil parameters and climatic conditions to cultivate ramie plants.
- Around 19 different species of ramie plant are collected from the regions of India so far.
- Regions like the foothills of Himalaya and the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and the Western ghats have good sources for ramie cultivation.
- It proliferates in sandy loam soil with a mild acidity level of pH 6 to pH 7.
- Hot-humid weather conditions with a temperature of 25oC to 31oC.
- It requires a well distributed rainfall of up to 1500-2000mm for obtaining a good and luxurious quality of ramie fibres .
- Ramie has vigorous growth under favourable climatic conditions, reaching more than 2m within one month.
Physical & Mechanical Properties
Fibre length
Average
200 mm
Fibre diameter
Average
10 μm
Length of the ultimate cell
20-250mm
Length to breadth ratio of Ultimate cell
3500
Tenacity
40-65 g/tex
Extension at break
3-4%
Degree of crystallinity
>70%
Chemical Composition
Cellulose
67-99%
Hemicellulose
13-14%
Pectin
1.9-2.1%
Lignin
0.5-1.0%
Fat/wax
0.3%
English
Betelnut palm, Areca nut, Betel palm,
Table 1. Physical & mechanical properties and chemical composition of areca nut fibres
Features
- The longest part of the ramie plant is the unicellular fibre, which is the strongest.
- It bears highest strength and length, has good durability and absorbency along with excellent lustre.
- The fibre is twice as strong as cotton and has an improved length-to-breadth ratio.
- The ramie plant is susceptible to strong wind, waterlogging, and frost conditions.
- It exhibits high fibre strength when it absorbs moisture.
- It is resistant to most of the solvents and abrasions.
Uses
- Ramie fibre has wide ranged application in textile, paper, apparel industry and household goods .
- China uses this popular fibre for producing women’s dress materials, shirts, suits, and other handicraft products.
- The coarser fibre is used to make cordages, ropes, twines, and nets .
- The Korean traditional costume hanbok is made up of ramie fibres and is well known for its fineness.
- Ramie fibre is blended with cotton to make woven and knitted fabrics.
- It is used to make sacks, carpets, handicrafts, papers, various reinforced polymers, gas mantles, fishing nets, and marine packaging, .
- In Japan, ramie is used to make canvas, mat-edge, suit-cloth, and various other products.
- It is primarily used to blend with cotton and silk for strength and lustre properties. It is used to create draperies, curtains, upholsteries, towels, filter cloths, etc.
- The waste fibre can then be used for manufacturing currency notes and cigarette papers.
- The woody portion from the bast can be used to produce various bio-degradable products such as plywood, particle board, and fibre board.
